StormAndForge

HA! Most faithful adaptation of Lifedeath in a split-second clip in the credits. I'll take it.

Wait, is that a...Forge sequence? LOOK HOW COOL HE IS . Yup, I'm definitely the target audience for this.

Who wants to lick Forge's sweaty face? It's meeeeeee

Ahem. *fans herself* I'm fine, I'm fine. I'll just add that this was a lovely, unexpected spotlight that was very faithful to my boy's history and character. We even see his exceptional marksmanship, which isn't always mentioned explicitly. This show is taking the time to show different aspects of Forge, and I appreciate that. (I'm more or less at peace with the fact that we won't see his mystical side. It's probably for the best when you think of how it could go wrong...)

Effortless Storm/Wolverine team-up. Nice.

Forge and Wolverine do not need to be holding each other like this. There's unnecessary and unprofessional touching going on, much like Forge had unnecessary touching going on with Beast in season 1. This is a polycule and everyone's pansexual.

I hate Forge/Storm/Wolverine as a love triangle, but I'd take them as a throuple. Just saying.

WHEN YOUR GIRLFRIEND IS AN ACTUAL ANGEL FROM THE SKY

There might just be some sort of foreshadowing to the fact that Logan is here during the Forge/Storm kiss, but for now he just got discarded like an old bandana. Sorry not sorry.

Oh good God. I'm going to be watching this kiss forever. Rewind, play, rewind, play, rewind, play. They look so happy and I'm right there with them.

(I've already written about the kiss in my shipper's highlights. I've also taken screenshots like a little pervert.)

The chuckle. The showing off. Forge is hot, guys.

Oh, there's a plot? Sorry.

Seven minutes. That's how long we managed to go without anyone called Summers appearing on screen. It was nice while it lasted.

Ororo totally facing away from Jean and Scott so she can ogle Forge. Love it.

SO MANY SHOTS OF THEM TOGETHER OMG THEYRE A REAL COUPLE MY POOR HEART

Oh. Pile of corpses. Fun.

Fun fact: perpetuating the cycle of abuse is ok if your kid is a mutant messiah. (Morph knows.)

*twists head* Hi Rachel!

Awwww, she has her mother's eyes! It's especially important because Nathan has his father's eyes, you get it? Poor Rachel, she deserves better.

Goddess help me, Storm and Forge are cuddling on a cliff. Looking at the horizon. Like it's 1986. I don't know what I've done to deserve this.

She had her head on his chest 🥹 Oh, just ditch the Summers drama and stay here forever, will you? Please?

Stupid gloves, now I don't know whose thumb is doing the stroking and I need to know. For reasons.

So the conflict in their relationship is his cold scientific brain? It's simplistic but cute, and I'll accept it. It's not like a cartoon can do justice to the complicated mess that is the Storm/Forge romance.

Shoutout to Gil Birmingham for the voiceover work. It's very calm and controlled, with glimpses of emotion and sarcasm in chosen moments, and it's exactly how I imagine Forge talks. Birmingham deserves more credit.

How am I only just noticing Forge's high cheekbones, lol. Lovely (canonical) detail.

What did Morph interrupt? A fight or a fuck? We'll never know. Probably both.

Aaaand yet another shot of Forge and Storm staring into each other's eyes. I'm screencapping like crazy.

Back to the Summers fest. Sigh.

Oh no wait, Storm and Forge are on screen too, and they seem to be...joined at the hip? OK, I get it. The writers really want me to be invested in the relationship so they can destroy me later with a horrible breakup. Joke's on you, I've been invested for 30 years and these two have destroyed me many, many times. You can't touch me.

Mother Askani speaking with the voice of a much younger woman. Gee, I wonder why.

Ororo not believing in herself, LOL

"You never relent, and lead the resistance toward the light." Storm fans, assemble!

Too much dialogue. Let our girl do her thing already.

🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞 She's a bit of a marvel, isn't she.

WHEN YOUR GIRLFRIEND IS AN ACTUAL DEITY AND ALL YOU WANT TO DO IS FALL DOWN ON YOUR KNEES AND WORSHIP HER BUT FIRST YOU HAVE TO JERRY-RIG AN OLD AIRCRAFT

Please keep objectifying Forge, animators. You have my blessing.

Logan just broke his own claws. I don't think Logan is ok. (Morph knows.)

I love that when it comes to giving Nathan the final speech, everyone just defers to Ororo, because speeches=Ororo.

Poor Rachel. These people are terrible parents.

I prefer my Cable fully grown, thank you very much. Even if he looks like a Kiss tribute act in this.

SHE CALLS HIM DANIEL. Like that was always a thing. Like it's now the standard. My life is complete.

They kiss, and it's tender and sweet. Somehow less touching to me than the Daniel thing, but still fucking perfect. I couldn't have hoped for better.

There's cuddling. Bona fide snuggling on a cliff while looking at the horizon - which is totally their thing, if you remember the 80s. Also, are they low-key talking about having kids? I don't know what I've done to deserve this.

I'm not fooled though. This episode is working way too hard to show the viewer their intimacy (it even visually refers to the very seat of their intimacy, the Adversary's world, in that snuggle scene). There can only be one reason for that: to make the heartbreak sting all the more down the line. I know it's coming, it's cool.

And yes, right on cue: break-up foreshadowing. Honestly, all I want is a scenario that doesn't show Forge in too bad a light - not a version of Lobdell's 1992 nonsense, in other words. If they go for the adorable oversimplification that is "man of science and woman of faith, dating", as reason for the split, then I can rest easy.